New Air India 787 Flies To These Cities

Air India is aggressively pursuing turnaround efforts with aircraft featuring all-new interiors to be deployed to more cities globally.

The airline will therefore not only elevate the product across major international cities but, in some instances, also add capacity on select long-haul routes experiencing surging demand and requiring more seats per flight.

Short-Term Aircraft Changes

Air India plans to make several changes to its operations across February and March, including deploying the 787-9 in a three-class configuration on the Delhi-Tokyo Haneda route, which is already effective as of 14 February 2026.

The strategic deployment of this aircraft will ultimately add 2408 seats between Delhi and Tokyo each month, representing a key capacity ramp-up beyond the debut of the newest product.

From 1 March 2026, the Delhi-Toronto service will increase from 7 to 10 weekly. This will be followed on 29 March 2026, Delhi to Seoul Incheon service jumping from 5x weekly to 6x weekly.

Also on 29 March, 2026, the newly launched Delhi to Shanghai after resounding levels of demand will jump from 4x weekly to 5x weekly and thus also adding over 2,000 seats every month between the two locations.

Air India Summer 2026 Route Upgrades

Air India plans to enhance service across more markets as well. From 1 July 2026, the business will operate Mumbai-London Heathrow flights on the new incoming 787-9 and retrofitted legacy 787-8 jets.

This means Heathrow will see all-new cabin interiors replacing the current 777-300ER, which, while it has upgraded cabins, is still an older aircraft.

Air India will also offer its Boeing 777-300ER with upgraded cabin interiors, introducing first class between Delhi and Melbourne from mid-year and adding nearly 4,000 extra seats per month.

On 1 August 2026, Bengaluru-London Heathrow flights will be operated by the retrofitted 7878s, featuring the latest amenities to enhance customer satisfaction.

Also from 1 August 2026, Air India says the 7x weekly flights to Toronto will be operated by its new incoming 787-9 in a three-class configuration, including the debut of Premium Economy.

A Critical New Era For Air India

Air India’s $400 million widebody retrofit program targets 26 legacy 787-8 aircraft, to be fitted with new cabin interiors custom-styled for the airline.

Furthermore, the refit will see the aircraft repainted in the airline’s new livery to change perceptions after years of neglect and damage, culminating in a requirement for transformative efforts.

Thus far, the first two retrofitted aircraft will return to service in the coming weeks, with several more retrofitted progressively throughout this year. The retrofit program also includes the Boeing 777-300ER fleet.

This is happening because the flag carrier has lagged competitors in its premium product, and with hundreds of aircraft due to enter the fleet over the next decade, its older aircraft need to match the capabilities of incoming jets to create greater fleet harmony and a consistent product for customers.